


Conflicted

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: All American (TV)
Genre: Advice, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 16:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20933024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Asher is conflicted when he gets a text from his mom telling him she wants to see him. Olivia offers him some advice and a much needed distraction.





	Conflicted

**Author's Note:**

> With season 2 coming back today, and knowing that at some point we're going to be seeing Asher's mom I just had to do something.

Asher stares down at the text on his phone. He’s read it over at least fifty times since he received it last night. It probably would have been more than that, except he eventually made himself put the phone down and go to sleep.

“What’s up?” Olivia asks, sliding into the seat next to him at the table. When Asher doesn’t respond, she frowns and puts a hand on his arm. “Asher?”

“My mom,” Asher says, holding up his phone. “She’s coming back to town and wants to see me.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“I don’t know,” Asher admits. “I haven’t seen or even heard from her in months, Liv. I mean, I tried calling her a couple times back when I was having problems, but she never answered.”

“And you’re wondering what she would want to make her come back here,” Olivia guesses.

“Kind of,” Asher says. “Is it wrong of me to not be completely happy about seeing her? Or to even not want to?”

“Of course not,” Olivia assures him. “Family is complicated, as I know all too well. She might be your mom, but that doesn’t mean you owe her anything. It’s alright for you to be conflicted about whether you want to see her or not. No one came blame you for that.”

Asher feels a little of the tension seep from his shoulders. He gives her a small smile. “Thanks Liv.”

“Anytime,” she says, knocking shoulders with him. “You know I’m always here for you.”

“Yeah I know,” he says. “And I’m here for you.”

“I think you’ve proved that plenty,” she tells him. “Which is why I’m here. You don’t have to, because I know you’re dealing with your own thing…”

“What is it?”

“As you know, mine and Jordan’s birthday is coming up,” Olivia says.

"Is it?" Asher asks, tone teasing. "Man I must not have caught that all the million times you two have mentioned it this last week."

She rolls her eyes, “Anyway, I need help planning a surprise for Jordan.”

Her smile is hopeful as she looks over at him. He couldn’t say no to her if he wanted to. Not with her looking at him like that. “Of course I’ll help you.”

He doesn’t say he could use the distraction. There’s no doubt Olivia knows that. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if she made the whole surprise thing up. He appreciates it all the same. 

“So what’s the plan?”

He listens as Olivia excitedly starts telling him what she has planned for Jordan for their birthday. He’s half listening as she does. Enough to know what she’s talking about. The rest of him just watches her. Taking in the way her face lights up when she’s excited, and how her hands are moving through the air as she talks. She looks happy. Happier than she has been in a while, despite everything that’s been going on. 

He’s not thinking when he leans in and kisses her. 

“What was that?” Olivia asks, tone careful.

Asher knows there are a million excuses he could give, but he doesn’t want to. She deserves better than that.

“You just looked so happy and beautiful,” Asher says. “I was just thinking you deserved a surprise of your own.”

“So you kissed me.”

Asher nods.

Olivia takes a deep breath and nods to herself. “Okay. Well umm…” she looks over at him, her gaze suddenly shy. “Next time let me finish my sentence, will you? I’ve completely lost what I was saying.”

“Balloons,” Asher says, but his mind is focused on what she said. _ Next time _. 

“Right,” Olivia says. She starts talking about the kind of balloons she thinks Jordan would like. He feels a spark of hope when she slides closer on the bench and hooks her arm through his. 

Asher’s phone vibrates in front of him, his mom’s number flashing across the screen. He hesitates for a moment, looking down at the phone vibrating across the table. He thinks about what Olivia said. How he doesn’t owe her anything. He takes a deep breath and hits ignore.

Olivia’s squeezes his arm in reassurance. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Asher shakes his head, “No. I’ve spent enough time talking about her. I believe now you were talking about piñatas.”

“Oh right,” Olivia says. “I need your help to make one.”

“Make one?” Asher asks. “Can’t we just buy one?”

“We could,” Olivia says. “But that’s not as fun. Plus, you help me you get to spend more time with me. I don’t see how you could possibly lose here.”

Asher chuckles, “Neither do I. So what do we need to do?”

Olivia starts explaining the details that go into making a piñata, which is a little more complicated than Asher would have thought. He has no doubt Olivia can figure out a way to get it done though.

His phone flashes again, letting him know he has a voicemail. He clicks it off. He knows he’ll listen to it later, after he’s had more time to think. Right now he’s just not ready to hear her voice, and that’s okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day ♥  
[My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


End file.
